Our Baby Girl
by SpeckleFish326
Summary: Alec and Magnus have been married for three years, and they're ready to take the next step - adopting a child. When the Clave (namely, Robert Lightwood) denies them the right to adopt, a hole that can't be filled is ripped in the couple's life. Three months later, Magnus discovers something in an old spell book that could fix everything.
1. Chapter 1

Our Baby Girl

A Malec Fanfiction

Chapter One; A Dream Shattered

Magnus sat on a cold, hard stone bench outside of the Council Hall. He twiddled his thumbs nervously, his cat eyes taking in every detail of the hallway for the hundredth time. Alexander Lightwood was in the Council Hall, asking the Clave a very important question. Magnus hadn't been allowed to accompany his husband, because Downworlders weren't allowed into the room.

Suddenly the heavy oak doors to the Council Hall opened. Magnus stood up hurriedly as Alec appeared in the hallway. His heart pounded in excitement.

Alec looked up at him, and tears filled his blue eyes.

"Darling," Magnus gathered Alec into his long arms and turned his head up so their eyes met. 'What's wrong?"

"They said no," Alec said, burying his head in the crook of Magnus's neck Magnus's excitement vanished. "They said they won't let us have a child."

They weight of his words settled onto Magnus's heart. _The Clave had forbidden them from adopting a Shadowhunter child._ He slowly ran a trembling hand through Alec's black hair.

They stood in silence for a moment. Alec's tears soaked into Magnus's silk shirt. Their hands were clasped together tightly. Magnus's chin rested on his husband's head – his eyes were closed, holding back tears, but a few slipped through anyway. Alec didn't see.

The oaken doors opened again, and the Council members filed out. Magnus opened his eyes to watch them go. He hadn't bothered to glamour his eyes today, knowing that most of the Council would hate him whether he looked human or not. Many of the older Council members ignored the presence of the couple, walking away down the hall with their arrogant heads held high. A few shot him and Alec looks of disgust. Several, however, gave them looks of sympathy.

At the end of the line of Shadowhunters was Consul Jia Penhallow, a slender woman wearing red robes and a sad expression. Of the group of twenty-five Nephilim, she alone approached Magnus and Alec. Magnus squeezed his husband's hand, and Alec lifted his head. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his horrible gray sweater when he saw the Consul. He didn't let go of Magnus's hand.

Jia opened her mouth to speak. "I just wanted to say that I am sorry," she said, looking from Alec's red eyes to Magnus's tear-streaked face. "You saved my life once. If there was anything at all that I could do," she cut off as tears filled her own dark eyes. "They rejected my daughter's request too, you know," she said sadly. "It's an injustice, that's what it is."

Alec reached out a shaky hand and put it on the Consul's shoulder. "Thank you," he said softly. Jia looked up at him, and pulled him into a swift hug. When she let go, she turned to Magnus. Magnus was shocked when she embraced him as well. "My deepest condolences, Magnus," she said, before releasing him and turning away. She was the first Shadowhunter on the Council who hadn't called him 'warlock.'

A few minutes later, Magnus had successfully created a Portal to take them home. Alec went through first, squeezing Magnus's hand as he said, "I'll wait for you on the other side." The warlock stood alone in the hallway, or so he thought.

The last thing he saw as he stepped through the Portal was Robert Lightwood, dressed in his blue Inquisitor robes, scowling at him from the doors of the Council Hall.

~0~0~0~0~0~

The Portal brought Magnus and Alec into the courtyard of the New York Institute. It was about nine o'clock when they started home in Magnus's new gray Mazda. Neither of them spoke as they drove over the Brooklyn Bridge. Both had managed to stop crying with some difficulty - Alec's shaky breaths could be heard over the low hum of the heater.

They pulled into the driveway outside of their loft and got out of the Mazda, shutting the doors quietly. Magnus opened the front door. He took Alec's hand again, and they walked up the stairs together. Alec searched his pockets for a house key to no avail, so Magnus simply unlocked the door with a little magic. The lights were off. Magnus reached for the switch to turn them on when,

"SURPRISE!" Alec jumped and Magnus started as the lights suddenly brightened and people popped out of hiding spots all around the room. Simon and pregnant Isabelle appeared from behind the counter – Jace, Clary, and their three-year-old son Stephen came out of one of the spare bedrooms. Alec's mother Maryse stepped out from behind the living-room curtains. Tessa and Jem popped out of the linen closet – Tessa was holding their two-year-old daughter Lizzy. Clary's parents, Luke and Jocelyn, appeared from behind the couch. Finally, Catarina Loss un-glamoured from her spot on the rug.

Magnus's heart plummeted when he saw what was going on. The pile of large presents on the coffee table, the pink-and-blue cake on the counter, the 'Congratulations' banner hanging on the wall – their friends and family had thrown a surprise baby shower.

Beside him, Alec once again burst into tears.

He threw himself into Magnus's arms in an instant. The joyous look on Isabelle's face fell. She ran somewhat awkwardly to Alec's side, with Jace right on her heels. "Alec?" she cried, grabbing her brother's hand. "Alec, what's wrong?"

Jace, who had a hand on his _parabatai's_ shoulder, looked over Alec's head at Magnus. Their eyes met, and Magnus could tell that Jace knew exactly what was going on. Alec's distraught blue eyes flicked from Stephen to Lizzy to Isabelle's stomach as he sobbed. Jace squeezed Alec's shoulder affectionately before turning to Clary. "Sweetheart, I think we should take Stephen home," he said softly. Clary nodded in recognition. She picked up a diaper bag and took her son's hand, before slowly walking out of the apartment. She shot Magnus a look that was full of sadness.

One by one, all of the guests left the loft. Luke, Jocelyn, and Catarina filed out the door soon after the Herondales. Maryse departed next, after giving her son a long hug and giving Magnus an apologetic glance. Tessa and Jem left a little while later. Lizzy's cries of, "Why's Uncle Alec cryin'?" carried up the stairs from the floor below.

The last to leave were Izzy and Simon. By that time, Alec had shakily sat down on the couch. Isabelle and Magnus sat on either side of him.

"Isabelle," Simon said, walking over to her. "Maybe we should give them some time alone."

"What? No! I'm not leaving my brother right now!" said Isabelle indignantly, gripping Alec's hand. But after a little while, she agreed to give the two some space, and left with Simon.

Magnus wrapped an arm around his husband and pulled him close. They sat there for a while as Alec cried; until Magnus suggested that they get some sleep. Alec grudgingly agreed, and they headed to bed.

They didn't sleep; just lay under the green blankets side by side in silence. Magnus's hand was in Alec's. He listened to the sound of the wind. Chairman Meow was curled up at their feet. He didn't purr or move around like he normally did. Even the cat could sense that something was wrong.

Eventually, Alec spoke. "You weren't upset," he said quietly.

Magnus turned his head. "What?"

"You weren't upset," said Alec, looking up at the ceiling. "You didn't cry. You haven't shown the tiniest shred of emotion this entire time." He paused, and then said, "Did you even care about us adopting?"

"Did I even care?" Magnus said, sitting up. Alec let go of his hand. "Did I even _care?_ Of course I cared! I _still_ care, Alexander! Why on earth would you ever think I didn't?"

"If you care," began Alec, still looking up at the ceiling, "then why aren't you upset?"

Magnus lay back down. "I am upset, Alexander," he said. "In fact, I feel like my heart has been crushed."

Alec said nothing.

But he took Magnus's hand again.


	2. Chapter 2

Our Baby Girl

A Malec Fanfiction

Chapter Two; A Dream Rekindled

~0~ _ **Three Months Later**_ ~0~

Alec and Magnus hadn't talked about having children since February. They had more or less gone back to their old routine. Only their closest friends could really tell that they were still hurting. It showed in the little things, like how Alec's rare smiles had become even rarer, or how Magnus had stopped putting glitter in his hair.

The baby shower presents, still wrapped up, were locked in the orange bedroom with Max Lightwood's cradle (a gift from Maryse Lightwood). That room was supposed to have been the baby's room. Now it was ignored, as if their pain would disappear if no one entered into it.

The morning of May 15th started out like most others, with Magnus and Alec clambering groggily out of bed at 7:30. Magnus immediately fed the Chairman, knowing that he and his husband wouldn't be left alone unless the cat got his breakfast. Alec made coffee, which they shared, along with two cinnamon crunch bagels that Magnus may or may not have summoned from the Panera Bread across town. Both of them ignored the existence of the orange bedroom as they got ready for the day.

Alec left around nine o'clock, giving Magnus a quick peck on the cheek before heading to Isabelle and Simon's apartment – they were finding out the gender of their baby later that day, and Isabelle had asked her brother to come along. Magnus admired Alec for that – even though it pained him to go, Alec wouldn't dream of not being with his sister to hear the news.

Magnus alternated between watching _Gilligan's Island_ and going through his closet (he had to make room for this year's newest fashion lines) until around twelve fifteen, when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of the pocket of his crocodile-skin pants, and saw that it was Alec calling. "Hello, darling," he said, with a cheerfulness he didn't quite feel.

"Mags," Alec sounded out of breath. "I just got a call from Jace. There's a group of rouge vampires in Spanish Harlem – they've killed a bunch of mundanes already –"

"And you have to go take care of it," Magnus finished. "Be careful, Alexander. Vampires can be nasty things."

"Okay. I love you," said Alec. Magnus could hear Simon in the background, yelling for Alec to hurry up.

"I love you too," said Magnus, and Alec hung up.

By this time, the closet was as cleaned out as it was going to get. Magnus waved his hand – the miniscule pile of old clothes vanished in a cloud of blue sparkles. He decided to go through some of his old spellbooks, for lack of anything better to do. Magnus walked down the hall to the pink bedroom, which he'd converted into an office about a year before. He pulled a couple of dozen dusty old volumes from the bookshelf and settled down in his armchair to read.

The first four hours of reading musty old magic tricks yielded nothing except extreme boredom and a spell that turned people into dung-beetles (Magnus planned to use the spell on Jace when Clary wasn't looking). Magnus was hungry, grumpy, and tired, and Alec still wasn't home. He decided to read _one more goddamned spellbook,_ and if Alec wasn't home by then he would be going to Spanish Harlem to find him.

The seventh spellbook in the pile was an ancient-looking tome bound in brown leather with a caduceus stamped on the front cover. The gold lettering on the spine must have once been beautiful – now it was unreadable. Magnus opened the book with a worried sigh, and hurriedly began to read.

He found the spell on the thirty-sixth page of the book. His cat's eyes grew wide with excitement, and his heart filled with a strange happy anxiety. Quickly he bookmarked the page with a tissue, threw on one of Alec's hoodies (which he would never do under normal circumstances) and drew a Portal on the wall of his office.

The purple Portal brought him right where he wanted to be – the Beth Israel Hospital, where Catarina Loss was giving a patient medicine. "Magnus!" she yelled, dropping the bottle of pills she held. The old man in the bed started when he saw the crazily dressed young man pop out of the wall.

"Magnus, I'm working!" Catarina said. "What are you thinking?"

Magnus waved his hand. The old man fell back onto his pillows, and the pill bottle refilled itself. "There. He won't remember a thing. Now, I need your help with something."

Catarina huffed. "You know, it's generally not considered polite to not to speak to someone for three months and then show up at their place of work begging for assistance."

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't call you. It was rude. I apologize. Truly. But this is important." He opened the spellbook to page thirty-six and handed it to Catarina. She read it slowly, her eyes widening.

"Do you think it would work?" Magnus asked. "Do you think that it would work for Alec and I?"

Catarina looked up at him. "I don't know. It's risky, Magnus." When his face fell, she said, "But, I think there's a good chance that it _could_ work."

A huge grin spread across Magnus's face. He gave Catarina a huge hug, thanked her, and created a second Portal to get back home.

For the first time in over three months, Magnus opened the door to the orange bedroom. He had work to do.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Alec walked stiffly up the stairs to the loft. It was almost ten o'clock, and he had just gotten home. Tracking down the vampires had taken almost three hours, and then they had "put up a hell of a fight," as Jace put it. Of course, not a half hour after the vampire hunt, he, Jace and Simon had gotten a call from Maryse saying that there were Behemoth demons in Central Park. Needless to say, it had been a very long and tiring day.

He got to the landing and, after a minute of searching, discovered that he had once again forgotten his keys. And of course, the door was locked. Muttering a curse word under his breath, Alec rapped loudly on the door three times. A few seconds later, Magnus slammed open the door. His grin was bigger and more genuine then Alec had seen it in months. "Alexander!" he cried, pulling Alec into a hug. Alec was confused. He was covered in vampire blood and ichor and - was Magnus wearing his gray hoodie? Something was going on.

"I have a surprise for you," said Magnus, releasing him. "Close your eyes."

Alec sighed, but he agreed. "What's going on?" he asked nervously, as Magnus grabbed both of his hands. "Just follow me," said Magnus, and he began to pull Alec trough the loft.

After a moment, Magnus stopped. He spun Alec around. "You can open your eyes now," he said softly. Alec did so.

He was standing in the orange bedroom, which was all made up. His brother's cradle stood in the corner, with a blue comforter and pillow and a little purple teddy bear inside it. A changing table was pushed up against the opposite wall. The white rocking chair that Alec had looked at online had appeared next to the window. The room had been re-painted light blue, and the floor was off-white carpeting. Pictures of Magnus and Alec's family and friends decorated the walls.

Alec sucked in a breath. "It's just like I pictured it," he said softly. He turned to his husband, who was leaning against the doorframe with a happy look in his eyes. "Why is it all done up? The Council said –"

"I know what the Council said," Magnus interrupted. He reached into the huge pocket of the gray sweatshirt and pulled out a small brown book. He opened it and handed it to Alec, who took it with some trepidation.

Inside the book was a piece of paper in Magnus's handwriting. It was a list of ingredients and instructions, carefully translated into English. "What is this?" he asked, looking up at his husband.

"That," said Magnus quietly, "is a spell that allows a warlock and their spouse to have children."

Alec blanched. "A spell – wait - would it work for us?"

Magnus nodded. "I talked to Catarina," he said. "She thinks there's a good chance it will."

Alec felt a huge smile spread across his face. "You mean – we're going to be _parents?_ "

Magnus was grinning too. "If you still want to be."

Alec suddenly laughed. "Mags," he cried, his blue eyes the lightest they'd been since February. "We're going to be parents! We're – we're going to have a kid!"

He ran to his husband and kissed him. Magnus picked him up and spun him around the baby's bedroom giddily. They laughed together, and Alec kept repeating himself. _"We're going to be parents!"_

A little while later, they were sitting on the couch together. Magnus's head rested on Alec's shoulder, their hands clasped together tightly.

Alec suddenly broke the silence. "It was Robert," he said softly.

"What was Robert?" Magnus asked.

"It was my father," said Alec. "He's the reason that the Council ruled against us adopting." He paused and took a breath before he continued. "He completely flipped the Clave's perspective to what _he_ thought, and you know how he feels about me. He made the Council think that you and I – that we were something disgusting that should be treated with the same respect as a cockroach. He made them think that there was no possible way that we could be good parents."

"Alec, I…" Magnus didn't know what to say.

"No, it's okay," said Alec, looking Magnus in the eye. "I've decided not to dwell on it. And anyway, we're going to prove him wrong aren't we? We're going to be the best damn parents this world has ever seen. Certainly better than he was."

Magnus squeezed his husband's hand.

"I hope so," he whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

Our Baby Girl

A Malec Fanfiction

Chapter Three; A Dream Fulfilled

~0~ _**Five Days Later**_ ~0~

Everything was prepared. The large, golden bowl sat on the coffee table in the Lightwood-Bane loft. A silver knife lay next to it, its blade glittering in the light of three foul-smelling black candles that made up a triangle. A large magical symbol that Alec didn't recognize encircled the bowl and candles (Magnus had drawn it there with a silver Sharpie). A soft green blanket was folded carefully and placed to the side of the setup.

Alec and Magnus stood on either side of the coffee table. Alec fidgeted a bit with nervous excitement. Magnus, smiling but concentrated, held the paper that contained the spell in his right hand. He'd taken off all of his rings except for one – the Lightwood ring on his fourth finger glowed dully, like the knife, in the candlelight.

"Are you ready?" Magnus asked, looking across the table at Alec. Alec nodded. Magnus smiled, and put the spell-paper into the gold bowl. He picked up the silver knife and handed it to Alec.

Alec drew the blade across his palm, drawing a thin line of blood. It hurt a bit, but he didn't care. If this ritual worked, a little bit of pain would be more than worth it. He held his hand over the bowl and let his blood drip into it.

"Now, the Marks," said Magnus, taking the knife from his husband. He was watching Alec carefully. Alec pulled his stele from the right pocket of his jeans and drew a rune next the each of the black candles – Creation, Angelic Power, and Wedded Union.

Magnus smiled at him with approval. Then he took the silver knife and sliced his own palm open. He grimaced as his blood dripped into the bowl and mixed with Alec's.

"What happens now?" Alec asked, walking around the table to stand next to Magnus. "You give yourself an _iratze_ , that's what," said Magnus, gesturing to the cut on Alec's hand. "And when you're healed, I cast the spell."

"The paper with the spell on it is covered in blood," Alec pointed out, confused.

"I memorized it. And the paper is supposed to be in the bowl."

"Oh."

" _Iratze_. Now. I can't stand to see you bleeding, Alexander."

Alec blushed, and drew the healing rune on his hand. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine," said Magnus.

He began to chant in Latin, and Alec watched in awe as the candle flames turned blue and the runes began to glow.

" _Prolem veneficus natus hódie,_

 _Ex carne et sanguine symbola,_

 _Parentes et Magnus Alexander Lightwood-Bane,_

 _Angeli et Daemone –_ Ow!"

Chairman Meow had snuck up onto the couch behind them and jumped onto Magnus's head, digging his claws into the warlock's scalp. Alec panicked, knowing that spells often didn't work if they were interrupted, and pulled the cat from Magnus's head as gently as possible. He ran down the hall as Magnus hurriedly continued to chant, until he reached the door to their bedroom.

" _Angeli et Daemones tueri puer,_

 _Lux emissa caelitus, ab infernis in lucem,"_

"Sorry, Chairman!" Alec yelled as he threw the small cat rather unceremoniously onto the bed. He grabbed the doorknob and wrenched the door shut, ignoring the Chairman's indignant yowls of protest.

" _luminae Lunae,_

 _Caro, sanguis, symbola,"_

Magnus looked over his shoulder frantically, his heart thumping erratically in his chest – if the spell worked, the baby would appear on the table. If Alec missed it…

The raven-haired Shadowhunter sprinted back to the living room and skidded to a halt at Magnus's side, just as the warlock yelled the last line of the spell.

" _Puer veneficus, apparent!"_

A mushroom cloud of blue sparks erupted from the gold bowl. The flames of the black candles were blown out by some invisible wind, and the loft was plunged into darkness. Something grabbed Alec's hand, and he jumped, but relaxed when he realized it was Magnus.

"Did – did it work?" he asked nervously.

" _Something_ happened," Magnus replied shakily. He snapped, and the living-room lights (blindingly bright) burst on. Even that tiny bit of magic left him feeling drained – this spell had taken a lot of energy. He blinked for a moment as his eyes adjusted.

Alec inhaled sharply beside him. "Mags," he said, squeezing Magnus's hand. He pointed at the coffee table. "Look!"

The bowl and the blanket had switched places. The fuzzy piece of green fleece was now in the center of the candles' triangle, and on the blanket…

On the blanket, there was a baby.

Instantly, Magnus's exhaustion vanished. His worries, anxieties, even his slight guilt over Chairman Meow, were forgotten. All he cared about was Alec and that baby, and he felt a euphoric smile spread across his face.

He looked at Alec. The Shadowhunter's big blue eyes were wide, and he was smiling too. Together, they walked forwards.

"It's a girl," Alec said softly. Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping - or was she?

Magnus felt panic rise in his throat. "Alec," he said, terror lacing his voice.

Alec looked at him, concerned. "What is it?"

"Alec, _she's not breathing!"_

"What?!"

Alec wrenched his hand out of Magnus's. He reached down and gathered the baby up, blanket and all. "No," he said breathlessly. The baby didn't respond. "No," Alec said again. "No, no, no, _please – "_

The baby's eyes flew open. She studied the two men above her – the panicked Alec and the terrified Magnus. Her eyes were a deep brown, nearly black.

Magnus exhaled. "She's all right," he said.

"Yeah," said Alec shakily, slowly smiling again. "Mags, do you know what else she is?"

"What?" Magnus asked, looking over Alec's shoulder at the baby girl in his arms.

"She's ours."

Magnus smiled. "Alec?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Can – can I hold her?"

"Of course you can."

They sat down on the couch together, as Alec expertly swaddled the baby girl with the green fleece blanket. "Here you are," he said, handing her to Magnus.

Magnus took the baby gingerly, like she was made of glass. He carefully moved her to the crook of his elbow, like Alec had held her. The baby looked up at him with those big brown eyes.

"She looks like your sister," said Magnus, looking down at this wonder – his _daughter_ – in his arms. "Alec smiled. "Yeah. She's got your hair though, it looks like."

Magnus studied the fine black hair on the baby's head. "We both have black hair," he said. "She could just as easily have your hair."

They sat in silence for a moment. Then Alec spoke. "What should we call her?"

"I had an idea," said Magnus, meeting Alec's gaze. "But I don't know how you'll feel about it."

"What is it?" Alec asked curiously.

"I was thinking… Maxine?"

Alec was silent for a moment. Magnus looked back down at their daughter, nestled in her blanket in his arms. She'd fallen asleep. "If you don't like it, we can call her something else," Magnus said.

"No, Mags," Alec said softly. Magnus looked at him again – Alec had teared up a bit. "That's perfect."

Magnus smiled. He leaned in and kissed Alec, careful of the child he was holding. When they broke apart, Alec was smiling too.

"For her middle name, would you be all right with Sophia?" he asked. "It's an old Lightwood family name… it's Izzy's middle name, actually."

"Maxine Sophia Lightwood-Bane," Magnus said. "I like it."

Alec smiled, and then his smile dropped. "What's wrong?" Magnus asked, worried.

"Isabelle," said Alec. "If I don't call her right now to tell her about Maxine," Magnus liked the sound of his daughter's name on his husband's lips. "She'll have my hide. Jace too."

"And Tessa," Magnus sighed. "We'd better make a few phone calls."

They sat together a little while longer, neither really wanting to get up, both watching the sleeping Maxine. Then, Alec took the baby from Magnus, and went to put her in her room.

Magnus walked to the kitchen and picked up Alec's cell phone. He dialed Isabelle's number.

She picked up on the fourth ring. "Hey Alec," she said. "What's up?"

"It's Magnus," Magnus said.

Isabelle's voice grew urgent. "Is Alec all right?"

"Yeah," he replied. "In fact, I think he's more than all right."

"What's going on?"

"There's someone here at the loft that I think you'll want to meet," said Magnus. "Come over as soon as you can. You can bring Simon too."

"Someone at the loft – what?"

"See you soon, Izzy dear!"

 _"Don't you dare hang up on m-"_

Magnus hung up. He knew Isabelle – she'd probably be here in twenty minutes with a sleepy-eyed Simon in tow. Better to let her be curious then to waste time having an hour-long interrogation. He picked up the phone again – there were several more calls he had to make.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Sure enough, twenty-five minutes later there was an impatient rapping on the front door. Magnus had been in the nursery with Alec up until that point. He squeezed his husband's hand and went to let the family in.

On the other side of the door was Isabelle, her lipsticked mouth set in a defiant line, as if she was daring him to test her patience. Beside her stood Simon, looking tired, just as predicted. Behind them were Clary, Jace, and Stephen, who was dressed in a pair of blue flannel pajamas with police cars on them. Tessa and Jem were there too – Jem was holding Lizzy, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. She clutched a gray stuffed cat to her chest.

"Well," Magnus said. "I was hardly expecting you all to turn up at once."

"Magnus–" Isabelle began to speak, probably to yell at him and to demand to know what was going on. She was cut off by a baby's wail.

Isabelle's jaw dropped, and Clary looked shocked. "Is that... is there a _baby_ in your apartment?"

"I suppose you'll have to find out," said Magnus, stepping aside to let them in.

Isabelle wasted no time. She shoved past him, surprisingly agile considering she was seven months pregnant. She dragged Simon behind her by his wrist. Jace ran in too, followed eagerly by Tessa. Jem and Clary stepped into the loft carefully. "Magnus," Jem asked tentatively. "Could I lay Lizzy down somewhere?"

A few minutes later, Stephen and Lizzy were settled into the guest bedroom. Magnus led Jem and Clary to the nursery, where the other four and Alec were crowded around the cradle, where his daughter lay wailing.

"She woke up," Alec called unnecessarily over Tessa's head.

"Really?" Magnus asked sarcastically, moving to stand next to his raven-haired Shadowhunter. "I hadn't noticed."

Alec glared at him. Magnus grinned and ruffled his hair.

"Guys," Jace asked. "Who is this?"

Alec reached into the cradle and picked up the baby, who was still swaddled in the green fleece. He rocked her gently, and she slowly stopped crying. Magnus wrapped an arm around Alec's shoulders.

"Everyone," Alec said quietly. "This is Maxine Sophia Lightwood-Bane."

Jace and Simon gaped at him. Izzy, Clary, Jem, and Tessa grinned widely.

"Our baby girl," Magnus said.

Isabelle clapped her hands and bounced a bit. "Do you _know_ what this _means?!"_ she squealed.

 _"I get to throw you a baby shower!"_


End file.
